


Finding Howl & Sophie

by kilojude



Category: Howl no Ugoku Shiro | Howl's Moving Castle, Howl's Moving Castle - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 14:12:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14771177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kilojude/pseuds/kilojude
Summary: Recently, Sophie and Howl had to depart under mysterious circumstances. They’ve been gone for over a month now, and Markl decides to get together a group to find and rescue them. Can this odd, mismatched and unlikely group come together to rescue Howl and Sophie, or will their hearts succumb to the darkness?





	Finding Howl & Sophie

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! 
> 
> This is not my first time sharing my writing publicly, however, it is my first time on AO3. I'm so in love with Studio Ghibli and Howl's Moving Castle in particular so I knew I just had to write a story about it. It's mostly OCs with a couple of familiar faces in there. I hope you enjoy my goofy adventure, it's going to be a lot of fun!
> 
> ~kilojude

Markl sat atop a wooden stool across from a sleeping Calcifer. He sighed and placed his head in his hands. It had been 29 days since Howl and Sophie had left in search of the Dragon Egg. They had left him in charge of the castle’s residents, and everyday the task became more and more difficult. These days, the castle was a sanctuary for the destitute. Howl and Sophie welcomed almost any outcast who needed it into their castle in the sky. Although Markl didn’t mind caring for everyone, the idea of Howl and Sophie getting hurt weighed upon him increasingly each day.

_“Wait one month,”_ Howl had told him. _“Then you can worry.”_ Markl was old enough now that everyone in the castle looked up to him. He hated to worry them, so he tried his best to conceal his distress. But now, as everyone was asleep in their beds and the sun was about to rise on the 30th day, he couldn’t help but brood.

Markl decided to take his mind off of the absent couple and make some breakfast for his guests. He stood from his stool and gathered supplies to make bacon and eggs. Sophie had left everything perfectly organized, and over the past month, things had been… rearranged a bit.

“Calcifer,” Markl whispered as he sat with a pan in one hand, and a basket of food in the other, “Will you help me with breakfast?”

Calcifer’s flame grew bigger and soon, two sleepy eyes were visible, “It’s too early for this,” it spoke.

“Dox will be hungry when he wakes up, and I wanna get a headstart on the food.”

Calcifer grumbled to himself, but was obedient when Markl set the pan on the flame. He laid two pieces of bacon into the pan and let them sizzle. Soon after, he cracked four eggs in too. Before long, the smell of delicious food filled the air, enough to wake some of the guests. Dox’s loud footsteps could be heard coming down the upstairs hallway.

“Good morning!” Markl shouted to the mercenary as he clunked down the stairs.

“Morning,” he replied, groggily.

“You want some bacon and eggs?”

“Two bacon, four eggs, if you don’t mind.”

Markl winked at Calcifer, and the fire rolled it’s eyes back. He plated the food and handed it to Dox. His metal armor clanked as he sat down and began to eat. Markl added more bacon and eggs to the pan.

“How long have you been up?” The dark haired man asked Markl.

“I didn’t sleep,” He replied.

“I figured,” Dox said with a mouth full of food, “Too busy thinking about Howl and Sophie, eh?”

Markl shrugged. “It’s been a month since they left.”

Dox had cleaned his plate and stood to hand it to Markl.

“Don’t worry too much, bud. They’ll be home any day now.” He tousled Markl’s brown hair and pulled up a stool next to him. “Want me to take over? You can go for a walk or something.”

Markl nodded and handed the pan handle to Dox. Even though Markl was a few years older than him, Dox still felt the need to care for him like a father figure. He stood from the stool, grabbed his blue cloak from the hook by the door and pulled the disguise over his head. He bid Dox farewell and headed out onto the streets of Porthaven. The sun was just rising over the horizon. He walked for a few minutes down to the shore and found a spot to sit on a rock. He stared out into the distance. The air was crisp and cold and the birds were just starting to chirp. _What am I going to do?_ He thought to himself. _Howl himself said it would only take a month._ He wondered if the pair needed rescue. _If they do, I could get a group together in no time._ He stood from the rock and crouched to dip his hand in the water. He sighed. _What would Howl do?_

✧  


Markl closed the front door behind him and hung up his cloak. The house was now awake and bustling, with people sitting around, talking and eating breakfast. He smiled at the sight.

“Welcome back, Osito!” shouted a stout girl with white hair.

Markl smiled in her direction, “Kora, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what is it?” Kora responded.

“In private?”

Kora nodded and followed Markl upstairs to his bedroom. He golden anklets clinked as she walked, as if she were a walking tambourine. Kora sat beside him on the bed.

“Okay, now what did you want to ask me?” Kora said, as she tucked a piece of white hair behind her ear.

“I’m worried about Howl and Sophie,” said Markl.

“I’m sure they’re fine, Osito. I wouldn’t-”

“It’s been a month.”

Kora sighed to herself, and after a moment, she nodded slowly. “Okay. So, what are we going to do?” she asked.

“I want to get a group together to find them,” Markl said.

Kora furrowed her brows. “Are you sure?”

Markl took her hand and nodded. “Yes. I’m sure.”


End file.
